The ability to quickly access information about various services is important to the typical user of a wireless user device such as a mobile phone or a personal data assistant (PDA). Such a user typically accesses information by entering the name of the item for which information is desired. For example, a user desiring to find a movie review for a film entitled “Dances with Wolves” would enter the keyword string “Dances with Wolves”. The wireless user device must then obtain this information and render it to the user. Some of the information may reside locally on the user device, while other information must be obtained from an external source.
In one solution, the wireless user device periodically communicates with one or more service providers to obtain updates for all information available to the wireless user device. This enables the user to store the entire body of information locally. Unfortunately, this solution requires a relatively large database on a user device. Such a local database typically becomes outdated quickly and is difficult to maintain.
Another solution includes requiring the user search a World Wide Web (“Web”) portal for the desired information. Unfortunately, this solution requires the user enter a relatively large amount of text. Furthermore, Web portals typically have a relatively large amount of latency and portal menus typically change frequently, confusing the user.
Additionally, obtaining useful information from an external source such as a service provider often requires disclosing private data. For example, a user desiring weather information for the user's current location must first disclose the location. For various reasons, the user may not want this information disclosed.
Accordingly, a need exists in the prior art for a solution that supports local searching on a device, such that a service is accessible by name. A further need exists for such a solution-that minimizes the amount of text that a user must enter. Yet another need exists for a solution that maintains data on the device as long as possible. A further need exists for such a solution that allows private data to be incorporated into a search on a query-by-query basis, simply and efficiently, but with the user's knowledge and consent. Yet another need exists for such a solution that allows a relatively large amount of content to be stored on a wireless user device.